Without Reflection, It Is Harder To Track Self-Development

At one point in their lives, every successful man and woman had to “truly” face themselves. They needed to confront the reality of their current situations. Taking a hard look at who they were and where they were. This was important in identifying areas that needed to change or improve.

Eventually, this became an important regular habit for them. In order to change, one must first identify what needs changing.

You cannot improve on something you aren’t focused on especially if there isn’t a compelling inner need to improve it.

We can learn a lot from professionals in this regard.

The pros in sports hire and need coaches to analyze their ability to perform. Typically by looking at the effort and the state of one’s body + mind. Coaches do more than just monitor how many push-ups you do during practice.

The best golf player in the world needs someone to show him/her what is working and what is not. What needs to be improved and what does not. Both on the field and off. We often make the mistake of thinking that the quality of a golf player’s game is determined by his/her actions on the field alone.

It is not.

To be a golf player, one must live the golf player’s life. Coaches exist to ensure that. We only see them as bench-warmers on TV but more often than not, a good number of them develop personal friendships with players with the aim to be a support figure throughout their lives + careers. Which is both on and off the field.

If you are pursuing a passion, whether you are winning or not will depend on more than just your efforts. Your state of body and mind play an even more significant role in helping you succeed than most can imagine.

If you don’t know your current state and aren’t getting the results you want, chances are that something about you (and not the plan itself) isn’t working.

We are sold the idea that most success stories are the result of the efforts of one-person armies. But that isn’t true. Especially when it comes to great success. There is always a business coach, a group of advisors, or most likely… a mastermind group helping an individual rise to the top.

At the very least there have to be 2 people helping you make progress towards accomplishing your goals. The first is the doer of tasks. The one that has plans and executes on ideas that cause progress. That person is you.

The other is one who continuously monitors that progress by monitoring your effectiveness. Analyzing your methods, your approaches, your state of mind, your health, your emotions… as you plan and execute. This very person then needs to tell you what is or isn’t working. Making an assessment on both plan and person. This person is also you.

This is self-development.

You can’t improve on something you can’t measure or analyze. You can tell how well you are improving not just by the results of your effort… but by how you apply that effort in the first place.

A winning pro football team isn’t determined by goals alone. But by the quality of the team itself. Just never forget that the team also consists of a coach.

Reflection and constant improvement of one’s self is personal development. Taking time to reflect on who you are, who you are trying to be, where you are and where you would like to be… are important to the healthy development of your mind, body, and dream.

#makeProgressNotExcuses